Walking Trial
Author: Isabella Champenois | Major: Kinesiology
My name is Isabella Champenois, and I am a Kinesiology major in the College of Education and Health Professions. Over the course of the fall semester of 2021, I have been working alongside my mentor, Dr. Abigail Schmitt, who is in the Department of Human Performance and Recreation. Our goal is to test how the presence of an emotionally/mentally negative consequence can change the strategy individuals choose in crossing an obstacle. This topic was incredibly interesting to me considering how much we know about the physical consequences of negatively crossing obstacles, but how little we know on how psychological consequences of negatively crossing obstacles effects the way in which people go about crossing obstacles in the future. My research offers valuable insights into the way our brains coordinate movement during obstacle crossing while also providing awareness into an aspect of obstacle crossing that has hardly been explored. Exploring the mechanics of crossing obstacles with emotional/mental consequences may provide opportunities to discover ways in which we can reduce these consequences and can improve the quality of life as well.
My research includes four obstacles that mimic real world obstacles common in slipping, tripping, and/or falling. These real-world obstacles include a puddle/slippery surface, a parking block, a tree branch, and a queue barrier. The fifth obstacle is a dowel rod that participants will step over and is included for baseline obstacle crossing data. Participants are randomly placed into either the control group or the experimental group. The control group and the experimental group are each given the same obstacles to cross, but only participants in the experimental group will be presented with negative psychological consequences. Obstacle order is randomized for every participant and a minimum of ten trials is taken for each obstacle. Psychological consequences that come from fear and anxiety of negatively crossing an obstacle are mimicked by two highly prevalent motivators in the age range of college students. At the end of each experimental group session, the participant is given a survey including a few questions on demographics and how influential the motivators were in the participant’s crossing technique.
As I approached the start of my research experience, I knew I was interested in mechanics and wanted to do my thesis over a topic involving gait and dynamic movement. My interest in this scope of science emerged from personal experience with my younger sister who was born with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes a decreased level of muscular coordination and control. When searching for a research mentor, Dr. Abigail Schmitt’s research interests in musculoskeletal biomechanics and sensorimotor control and coordination in human movement peaked my interests. Once I was given the opportunity to work with Dr. Schmitt, she mentioned a previous thesis idea she had involving obstacle crossing that aligned perfectly with my research interests. After further research into this topic, I was certain I wanted to make this research topic my own. Dr. Abigail Schmitt and Ashlyn Jendro have assisted me in piolet testing, data collection, obstacle configuration, and have guided me in learning more about successful research techniques and critical knowledge in composing research. Dr. Michelle Gray has also agreed to serve on my thesis committee and has provided important and supportive insight that has allowed me to elaborate on my research topic.
While researching obstacle crossing, I learned that successfully crossing obstacles is a crucial skill in everyday life and the inability to do so immensely decreases the quality of life in an individual. I further learned that many older adults that have experienced injury from negative obstacle crossing attempts develop fear, anxiety, and/or trauma that can affect the ways they continue to navigate obstacles in the future. When evaluating younger adults, they do not tend to experience any fear, anxiety, and/or trauma associated with negative obstacle crossing attempts because they have a low risk for injury. As a result, I then discovered I could induce similar emotional/mental effects that older individuals experience in younger adults by presenting motivators that can be removed if the individual does not successfully cross the obstacle.
The major challenge I faced in my research thesis was determining if my motivators were influential enough to actually induce a change in obstacle crossing behavior. To further elaborate, I also had to decipher if the motivators I provided were strong enough to motivate all participants in the experimental group. To combat this challenge, I included a survey that the experimental group participants take at the end of the experiment to determine how influential the motivators were in navigating and crossing the obstacles. With the information from the survey, we can determine if participants were affected by the motivators and the extent of psychological impact the motivators had on the participant while crossing the obstacles.
The Honors Research Grant I have received has not only given me an opportunity to further explore an aspect of exercise science that I am interested in, but has also allowed me to grow as an honors student and a researcher. The experience I have gained in research so far has broadened my horizons in research and has shown me how rewarding research can be. As I continue through my thesis, I hope that I can provide applicable information on obstacle crossing that can hopefully be used to further understanding and injury prevention.